Wrestling Inc. chooses winners

Just three weeks after the controversial ending of WrestleMania 41, WWE is back in the main event, the 2025 edition of the backlash announced by the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Cena’s title is one of four to be defended in the backlash, with both male and female intercontinental championships (one of the first PLE showcases of WWE’s new women’s mid-card belts) and male US titles. Finishing the card is a rare grim match between “WWE Raw” commentator Pat McAfee and Gunther. He attacked McAfee in anger after losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Jawsaw.

So who will win? While it won’t ruin the celebration of my hometown, WINC staff are pretty confident in Cena, Dominik Mysterio and Jacob Fatu, aka “who won the title three weeks ago.” Other questions are not very certain. For example, can Lyra Valkyria defeat her new heel leader, Becky Lynch again? And with rumours swirling that Goldberg is returning to WWE for his final match against “The Ring General,” is WWE bold enough to defeat Gunther on McAfee?

The answer lies in front of you, as WINC staff collectively see. Let’s go to the pick!

The former world heavyweight champion and former Inter-InterContinental champion Gunther became “WWE RAW” commentator Pat McAfee against the former Indianapolis Colts punter, not the match he thought would predict a backlash. But it’s official, and 75% of us here at WINC siding alongside “Ring General” on commentators seeking to protect Michael Cole’s free speech honor and rights. The only thing that hugs the rest of us is McAfee’s extremely popular against the fans and the tendencies of WWE’s stupid moments.

After Gunther’s defeat to Jey Uso at Wrestlemania 41, he didn’t make Cole’s opinion of Cole very kind with the commentary, so he tried to roughen the veteran announcer before McAfee intervened. Gunther choked him and was suspended indefinitely from “WWE Raw” for a short period of time, but McAfee wanted to arrive at Gunther.

Commentators may make their desired location a or two inches to increase the crowds in St. Louis, but those of us who voted for the prediction are not confident in McAfee’s ability to one of the best wrestlers in WWE. McAfee has a bit of experience in the ring, and although the match for WarGames, who he joined “WWE NXT” in 2020, was not bad, I don’t think he’s a match for Gunther. “The Ring General” is out of great losses and requires victory to regain a small amount of momentum. That need is why 75% of us believe Gunther is walking victory after suffocating McAfee again.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Jacob Fatu will defend his first US Championship against three challengers, including the former champion, as he faces La Knight, Drew McIntyre and Damien Priest on the four-way backlash. Fatu won the title from the Knight in his final match at WrestleMania 41 and less than a year after joining the company won his first singles title. In the next few weeks, Fatu demanded a rematch, demanding that the priest ask for a title shot after his own victory at WrestleMania, and McIntyre was chased by McIntyre despite being defeated by a priest looking for a victory for the Cathartic title to spur his rivals.

However, a poll posted for Wrestling Company reflects the unanimous belief that Fatu will rule his title too early, with 100% voting for “Samoan Wolf” despite being the least decorated on the field. Standing on the other side of the champion is the former world champion of the Priest and McIntyre, and may be a two-time US champion in the night. So, getting a victory at night is not a small feat, especially considering the subplots associated with Solosicore. Cicor pushed Nick Ardis to play a single match between Fatu and McIntyre, helping McIntyre win by disqualification in his previous number one competitor. Unfortunately, Aldis made a match in four directions, including the Knight and the Priest, urging Sicoro to accuse Aldis of trying to ruin his enforcer.

Written by Max Everett

Women’s Intercontinental champions Laila Valkyria and Frenemy Becky Lynch will face off for Valkyria’s gold in the backlash, with the majority of us here at Winc at 88%, and believes “The Man” will leave St. Louis as the second female IC champion. First and only time, these women returned in October 2023, when Valkyria defeated Lynch for the NXT Women’s Championship. With that victory in mind, we think Lynch will outperform the young women in the backlash. Although I thought Valkyria’s promotion on “WWE Smackdown” last week was good, she also brought up some valid points in her opponent’s favor. Adding Lynch’s name to the history of women’s IC titles is probably a good thing, even if her reign doesn’t last long, and Lynch does a lot to elevate the title.

I also think Lynch’s victory is perfect for the overall storyline. Because it seems likely that she will feud with Bailey next. Lynch was able to take the title from Valkyria and inspire Bailey to return to the ring in the storyline. After Lynch takes her out of WrestleMania 41, Lynch himself just returned from a rather long break, so he needs a singles victory. She defeated Valkyria in the backlash, but Valkyria won gold at future premium live events, like Bank and Summer Slam, with Bailey’s moral support, but it could be a good, longer storyline that doesn’t look weak at the end.

I’m sure 88% of us will be lynching with gold in the future, even if we book things. As Heel Lynch works best in the championship, most of us are confident that “The Man” will return.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Dominique Mysterio and Penta should face each other in the InterContinental Championship rematch this weekend with a backlash. Mysterio won the title at WrestleMania 41, which abdicated Bron Blakeker on the four-way, including Penta and his umpire brother Finn Valor. But considering he locked up Valor and Blakeker joined Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman’s side, it has been chasing the new champion in a few weeks.

Penta made a one-on-one challenge against Mysterio in “WWE Raw” after WrestleMania, but on his return JD McDona interfered to sacrifice his title shot. Penta won a revenge in a victory over McDona and another shot in the title this weekend. However, the polls posted on the Wrestling Inc. team reflect the belief that he will not break the title yet, with 94% holding the title again voting for “Dirty Dom.”

Mysterio’s title reign is still in a relative early stage, but he is still supposed to be looking over his shoulder along with the enviable Barore, whose stable Valor has effectively taken away his stable title. However, there was also a consistent story about the members of the new Judgment Day, pushed by Mysterio. As a champion, he could sway to Valor to make it happen. Penta rejected the offer of membership, spurring feud with the group, which would carry some catharsis to come back and bite.

Written by Max Everett

In this writer’s opinion, it would be very interesting if John Cena’s controversial Heel Turn saw him lose his record-breaking 17th world title just a month later. But that’s not the case.

Cena is heading for a match against longtime rival Randy Orton, especially as Locke appears to have disappeared from WWE programming. There’s no one bigger than Cena right now. There is no viable candidate for the indisputable WWE Champion, where CodyRhodes is revenge or Eddie Guerrero is rising from the dead. The John Cena Retirement Tour requires a hook. Most of the staff at Wrestling Inc. agree that the world title is the hook, as they know fans will be appearing to tell them how much they hate Cena.

There’s no rudeness to Randy Orton, but “Vipers” hasn’t felt like a viable title contender for years. His theme music still stands up fans, and he’s away from WrestleMania’s victory, but the fact that Orton’s best days are behind him remains. The often-injured veteran is likely likely to lose in rebound and will take his place as a man just below the WWE hierarchy. Even in the 2000s, Orton was Cena’s foil more than he was a “man,” and that trend continues on Saturday. It will likely be their final match, Orton does what he’s always doing: make Cena look like the dominant champion.

Written by Ross Berman